Angels
Clarence was singing in harmony as his kind is wont to do. Their singing reinforced the 'song of existance'. It was a somewhat important job, even though only a handful were needed rather than the hundreds that did so. He and others near him noticed the pin prick discordence in the weave of melody that was the material realm. Those dark alien notes rose up. The Angel Mind touch the Divine and followed the new sub melody. Humans would call it a plan. Angels dove to the material realm and, of course, if any world was going to be causing problems, it had to be Earth. Oh well, at least Clarence would know his way around.
There are hundreds of ways to interpret Angels. This is one interesting one. One of the premises of this write up is that something has drawn the Angels to the world. Now they are material and tasked with a) saving the world and b) stopping the threat to reality from 'somewhere else'.
Full Description
Angels appear as Humans, usually exceedingly beautiful humans with serene smiles and calm demeanors. They tend to be calm all the time as no mortal can withstand witnessing an angel enraged or excited (and the effects that has on reality).
They are material (thus somewhat mortal) because they have lowered their vibration to be made flesh. They have joined the 'Song of the Earth' and strive to protect it.
They appear as Humans of all types and ethnicities. They trend towards tall and thin, but those are generalizations. They come in all appearances, but tend towards the beautiful and exotic. They appear as they need to appear and that is that.
Oh, and when they invoke the Divine inside themselves, they have a luminous quality. They just seem brighter. A touch more and they seem to have dimly glowing patches on their skin or eyes. When they truly wish to be impressive, they give off light, to make a glowing aura. No matter what the expression the light is visible to a living eye but can not be captured on film or via video.
One trait that they all possess is the most musical of voices. This seems self evident as they are nothing but spacial vibrations or cosmic sound in their native forms. This gives them a vocal tool of parallelled beauty and power in mortal form.
They are 'flying' spirits - spirits of 'motion' - moving through the divine symphony providing notes and volume as needed. They always have wings. Their wings are bright, feathery, and nearly ethereal in material manifestation. Sometime when they walk the material spheres, they tuck them away - disguise then. They are reduced to tattoos of winds on their back, or scarves that hand down their back, or even oddly placed buttons on the back shoulders of their garments. When manifested, their wings allow them to fly, hover, and glide, as they will.
Manifestations
Angels are normally keyed to a word or concept. This 'logos' binds their energies into the form and personality granting them an identity and mission in the universe. They can bring the local 'music' in line with their logos, apparently shifting reality in minor ways in line with their word or concept. This is easy, nearly autonomic for an angel to do. The greater the change in reality, the more effort (conscious even) that the Angel must place on the shift. Eventually reality will shift back towards the way it was, following the main line of music for the area. However, residue will remain.
Most angels with a strong binding to a word or concept will seldom leave their post, so to speak, even to help save the world. Yet a few might, if they were redundant.
Angels can shift reality in line to what they people expect of Angels. Consider that they all share this logos. This allows them to fly, obscure minds, become invisible/ immaterial, and pull out 'flaming swords of righteousness'. Some call them 'Angelic Super Powers', usually followed by the word 'cool'. This is harder for angels to do. They must have learned prowess to manifest these things easily. The ones they are comfortable with are more readily done - the ones they have dedicated points or skills towards. They can hold these nearly indefinitely. The ones that they have not are extremely difficult and very temporary.
Most of the Angels here to 'Save the World' from this outside threat (like from The Grinches via their Wreaths are without strong logos, but are merely 'Angels Unattached'.
The Angels were always with 'The Status Quo'. The Great War had fallen into a 'cool war' with both sides sniping at each other, careful not to really break effective cease fire and biding their time for their opening. The Angels had pulled back from the material world, utilizing the cosmic balance to limit and prevent 'the other side' from touch it as well. The Angels had often lightly touched the world from time to time, to assist and correct. Mostly they only addressed the demonic imbalance. If demons touch the world, angels can touch it, so both sides has to be careful not to let the other side have too much access.
Yet something Outside this realm has entered.
When the Gates opened, they had to act. And Act they did.
As for the Demons in this scenario….
1) They can sit it out, letting the Angels take a brunt of it, looking for their opening. However The Angel’s public presence does much to reinforce their position in the hearts and minds (thus souls) of the populace. Even with balance restoring time, they may lose ground to the Angelic Side.2) They can enter the world and play their own games. This can gain them a little ground, but it splits the Angels’ attention between them and the other threat. And if the other side succeeds, their position will be weakened and possibly toppled.
3) They can help the Angels get rid of the 'other threat'. Demons are of the same ilk as Angels, while they have different motivations, they have much the same abilities. This guarantees that they will stop the threat before it
can topple their position in the scheme of things. This is the option they have taken in Black Christmas the Campaign. The Demons and Angels have allegedly 'teamed up' a number of times due to mutual threats over the span of ages.
Black Christmas Notes
In the Black Christmas setting, many people consider The Angels as Figments, as in 'figments of the imagination'. They were not real. As The Gates (The Wreaths) opened, wyld magics, magics unforseen by the Grinches, just flowed into the world. The magic took hold of the dreams, images, and ideals of the world. It made them manifest. Some of those dreams obviously includes Angels and Demons.
Thus many believe that they winked into existance, like the Elfs and other odd things, as if they had always had been there. They believe they will just 'go away', pop and disappear… returning to the dreams ... if the wreaths are closed. At this point, it impossible to prove or disprove otherwise. Angels will not even bother, in most cases, to correct this misconception.
Additional Information
Angels tend to be intensely focused on their cause, their mission, and their logos. The narrowness and intensity of their focus can be a little disconcerting to Humans.
Angels can hear the music of an area. They tend to know instinctively what is 'in place', what is 'out of place', and 'what needs to be done' to bring the area back into harmony with the universal music. This instinctive understanding can confuse and distress those working with an Angel who often will not bother to explain something, which to them, is painfully self evident.
This same talent allows them to know most beings and people instantly. However, since Humans have 'Free Will' (and player characters have 'Empowered Will') Humans can occasionally throw Angels for a loop.
The Angels are amused and amazed by their allies, The Humans. Angels have always known Humans are Celestially Touched, but their will and tenacity astounds even the Hardened Members of The Host. In the Black Christmas Campaign, Elfs and other Figments have also joined the fight. (In many ways, it is the Angels who have joined The Elfs’ fight, as the Elfs do most of the fighting.
Angels seem unconcerned with religion. Most questions of theology are meaningless to them, much like us discussing why 0+0 is 0. Religion is a human construction. They are only interested in Faith in The Universe and those that 'harmonize' with the way of the Celestial and Universal.
Holy Ground or Sacred Space of all types is special to them. The entire world should be a sacred space eventually. They will do what they can to preserve such spaces, but they will never compromise the mission.
Article Codex
Lifeforms • Constructed • Any
The mall was all in motion as the tide of people moved to and fro. From behind the Santa Photospot, it formed. The circular "wreath" manifested. The Green Monsters slipped through The Gateway. When they numbered five, they lumbered forward. Breaking through the Santa Photo Display, they began their destruction of Christmas.
Items • Transports • Magical
Peter saw it in the shadows. It began like a emerald sparkler. The sparkler begain to move around in a circle. Slowly at first, but with increasing speed. Then gold and silver light began to spin around with the green. Soon the spinning lights cooled. They became metallic, yet still gently glowing in the gloom. Inside the ring, static - like the static on an analog tv - appeared. The first of what he would call Grinches appeared.
Lifeforms • Intelligent Species • Any
Clarence was singing in harmony as his kind is wont to do. Their singing reinforced the 'song of existance'. It was a somewhat important job, even though only a handful were needed rather than the hundreds that did so. He and others near him noticed the pin prick discordence in the weave of melody that was the material realm. Those dark alien notes rose up. The Angel Mind touch the Divine and followed the new sub melody. Humans would call it a plan. Angels dove to the material realm and, of course, if any world was going to be causing problems, it had to be Earth. Oh well, at least Clarence would know his way around.
Articles • Campaign • Game Mastering
It is December 24th. People around the world are doing last minute shopping, traveling, and getting their work done. The world is filled with moments of joy and amusement as the world is desperately getting ready for a joyous holiday (or going to the movies or Chinese food w/ the family… depending on the tradition).
Then, the Gates open and the world changed. Mythics began to appear. However, out of the gates, yes those magical gates, out pours death and mayham into the Malls and Streets. They don’t have a name, nor do they give one. Some call them demons, aliens, or experiments; others just call them Monsters. The Elfs, they call them Grinches.
Continued Below...
Lifeforms • Intelligent Species • Tundra/ Arctic
There was a flicker through the workshop. Most Elfs did not realize it had happened. They kept working like nothing happened. Toby didn’t understand how he knew, but he felt more solid, more real; which for an Elf - a spirit of Christmas- was pretty amazing. Toby knocked on batteries he was putting in some toys, they seemed more solid too. This odd feeling did not last long, as the Ultra Naughty Alarm went off. Someone was threatening Christmas itself. He quickly reached into his tool kit. Toby hefted his monkey wrench which felt amazingly stable and solid. The Elfs were going to fix this naughtiness straight away.
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? Responses (4)
Thank you for writing this.
I like this take on angels, but would have perhaps preferred it not so tied to the Black Cristmas scenerio. I think I liked it better without Demons and Angels - they just do not fit with the rest of the flavour. Grinches plus Angels? No, I'd terf both the demons and angels and keep it elves and grinches and other standard archtypes. I've never seen a holiday special with demons in it.
But you always see Christmas specials with Angels. (aNd when you have Angels, you have Demons. And your average christmas special does not have the amount of gore splattering violence that a Black Christmas game was intended to have... though you can reset the violence level from "cartoony" to "terminator" as fits your mood. )
And if The Figments came into existance when the Wreaths opened up, Angels and Demons would of popped into existance too. Logic dictates. Of course you don't need to use them in your campaign (especially as PCs).
To be honest, these Angels can be used for any campaign. They just need a reason to "come to the world", given the balancing access factor. (The reason Angels don't come to the world, is to prevent allowing the Demons much of a "free pass" to the world. Create a threat from "somewhere else". Choose a monster that is interesting and versatile. The Monsters provide the motivation for them to come to the world. They come with a vengence to destroy these things. Then you can take any option with the Demons.
(ooohhh adding these to an supers game gives you a new influx of new metas from all the various sides).
If you haven't read the game set, you have not seen the section in character creation that includes Mythics. Mythics are supernatural beings that came into existance when the Wreaths opened up. (And the world altered slightly, so other things were added in like buildings and such). So all the various figments of the collective unconcious's/ peoples' imagination came to be. Since Mythics/ Figments are not incredibly powerful, they still balance the world.
Mythics started as Animated Toys, Reindeer, Sandy Claus (Santa's Daughter) and other things, you would find in a christmas special. Your campaign could be limited to only allow Mythics that fit Christmas. (And you can completely blow off Angels and Demons. The setting has so many plug and play elements that you like). Yet, other things could "fall into existance", feeling like they existed all the time (and the world shifted slightly to fit those existances) that could join in. A Greek God, a Unicorn, a Native American Kachina spirit, a Gargoyle, a Nymph, or a Super Hero (Turboman?), would add to the fun. Game Designer note: Elfs are the superior character race. Everything else is 2nd to them. All the other character types (Humans, Angels, Demons, and Mythics) are balanced against each other, but not nearly powerful enough to overcome the ElfTech advantage.
I promise to finish the Mythics section. I would call it all Figments, but that is the phrase I am using for ALL the additions to the reality.
(and now it is important that some of the mythics should be massively more powerful than they come out. Yes, Superman came into existance, but then discovered through he can fly, he is not that tough, nor that strong. So he is laying low. Batman adapted a bit better. You could have an entire subplot about the Super Heroes who are now just minor players. And what happens to the Mythics after the Black Christmas is over....)
Did a little update. Fixed spelling and two lines of content.
